Snakes, Lions, and Foxes
by XigHeart
Summary: After the triwizard tournament and an uneventful summer, Harry returns to Hogwarts grief stricken. He meets a kunoichi sent for his protection, but she has something else planned. past harry/cedric harry/draco Ocs Slash Unbetaed [DISCONTINUED] This will likely never be picked up again.
1. Mission

Author's Note: Welcome to my Harry/Draco fic! My OC Nicole Takahashi is a prominent figure again in my fanfiction. She only has romance in mention will no longer be a prominent figure in my fanfiction. She disappears in later chapters. This is Harry/Draco slash. There will be future SasuNaru, but not for many chapters yet.

Disclaimer: The only things I own are my pen, paper, laptop, and Harry Potter books written by one, JK Rowling.

Little notes about the story: This is not compliant to Order of the Phoenix or later books. This starts off at the beginning of 5th year at the end of a very boring summer savvy? I also change bits and pieces of Goblet of Fire just to fit.

**Snakes, Lions, and Foxes: Mission**

Standing tall a nondescript black tank-top and jeans, Nicole Takahashi was not a happy kunoichi. She rolled the trolley with her luggage through the train station. '9¾. Who's bright idea was it to have a train leaving from a magical platform at nine and three fucking quarters. Why do I need to utilize my English? I almost despise the language. I graduated from the academy. Why do I have to go back to school?' the 5'11" half-Japanese girl thought to herself. Some of her long, straight, black hair hid her face, and her glare, as she stalked behind a group of redheads, who she had been informed were the Weasley family. The oldest male turned around and saw her. 'Fifth time he's done that. Wonder if he's figured out that I'm following them. Not that I'm a threat or anything, but really what if I was?' she scoffed to herself.

Arthur Weasley broke away from his family to confront this tall mysterious young woman that was following them. He saw her scowling at nothing in particular and saw the powerful gleam in her eyes. He hoped she wasn't an enemy and spoke to her cautiously, "Excuse me, but would you happen to be following my family?" Cole raised an eyebrow. "So you have finally noticed. Yes I am, but only for direction. Ask Dumbledore what I'm here for. I am here for Harry," she said glaring at a wall.

"But why do you need direction?" Arthur asked baffled.

"Because I've never been to England before. I need some help getting around," Cole replied. A tick in her voice betrayed her annoyance. However before she could continue speaking, her attention was taken by the redheaded man's family disappearing into a pillar. "Are we going to walk through a magical pillar to get to the platform?" she asked carefully, unsure of whether or not to trust the magical devices.

Arthur sighed, not liking where this was going. However the girl mentioned Albus so he would help. "Yes we are, the platform is on the other side. Give it a run if you're nervous," he said.

"I did not sign up for this…" Cole muttered and barged through the divider. She saw a flash of red behind her indicating that Arthur came through behind her. "Thanks for the help," she threw behind her as she left him and the entire Weasley family behind her to find a seat on the train. Once seated in the first quiet compartment she could find, she flipped her hair behind her with a flourish and a huff then looked up to see another person already in it. "Who are you?" she smiled kindly not wanting to scare the kid.

"Do you really not recognize me?" the bespectacled boy asked incredulously. His hair was shaggy and mostly covered his eyes. He wore ill-fitting clothes and sat hunched, as if to disappear into the upholstery.

Cole snorted hardly amused. "Am I supposed to? What's your name?" she asked quickly. She scanned her surroundings to find any threats. There were none, so she relaxed into her seat.

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry said still disbelieving. He crossed his legs and smiled softly. 'Finally someone who will recognize me and be my friend because of me, not because of Harry fucking Potter.'

"Oh~!" Cole smiled. "I have been sent to protect you. Dumbledore wanted to hire some people from my country to protect you. I was chosen to come solo. No need for a team on such a small mission," she replied. 'Damn that goes that friendship,' Harry thought. Cole fumbled through her pockets and fished out a letter and thrust it at Harry. "Here you go!" She smiled. "That's the letter that I was given to show you and Dumbledore. My orders and payment schedule. I am interested in the man that you are fighting against. I hear something about an affinity to snakes? We have a similar problem back home."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he read the letter. "I don't understand what half of this means," Harry said. "I also don't know shit about Voldemort passed what I've been told, which isn't much. If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to Dumbledore.

Cole smiled. It seems that Harry really is just a child. "Nicole Takahashi, at your service," she said with a shallow bow, out of sheer habit. "Most just call me Cole. Listen Harry, I'm stuck with you whether we like it or not. So let's try to be friends okay?"

Harry smiled softly at Cole. "It's nice to meet you Cole. I do think we'll be good friends…"

Cole smiled. "According to my information, you have two friends that usually hang around you. Where are they?" she asked slightly concerned.

Harry blushed a little. "They're in another compartment for now. Both of them have prefect duties this year. They should be by later though!" He gave a sad little smile. He really missed his friends. The last few weeks at Grimmauld Place got him used to their company. Being without was a little bit lonely.

"I see. No one else to sit with now?" Cole asked, actually concerned. Most people had more than two people to talk to at school.

Harry gave a humorless chuckle. "I didn't want to sit with anyone I know at the moment. Too many pitying looks."

"From what?"

"You know that boy that died at the end of last year?"

Cole nodded.

"He was my boyfriend."

"Oh. Well we don't have to talk about that. Tell me about this war?" Cole asked, leaning forward in genuine interest.

"Okay well it started before I was born…" Harry began.

They heard the clock strike 11 and the train was off, taking everyone to Hogwarts.

A/N: and so commences chapter 1, comments welcome! I would really welcome a beta that has the balls to tell me when my weeb is showing. So if you'd like to do that for me, I am ALL ears.


	2. Friends

Disclaimer: The only things I own are my pen, paper, laptop, and Harry Potter books written by one, JK Rowling. Also, this shit gay. Get over it.

A/N: This is unbeta'd. I will be going back and making a valiant attempt at fixing this eventually. It has been nearly two years since I last touched this fic. I was a junior in high school when I started it and now I'm a second semester freshmen in college. Bear with me please. The first half of this chapter was written well over a year ago. My writing style has changed. This will be undergoing sever editing in the near future. I am so terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I have no excuses other than I'm a lazy ass.

**In the Arms of a Father Chapter 2: **

Harry had fallen asleep about ten minutes into the train ride. His head was in Cole's lap as the girl stroked his hair. The poor kid had so much going on and their entire world was depending on him to save them. 'The bastards,' she thought.

She grabbed a scroll out of her bag and began reading it. She did have her own studies to keep up with. A few moments later, she heard someone coming closer, two people coming closer. They had the same gait and fall, she almost thought they were one person.

The two unidentified subjects stopped outside their cabin. Cole slipped the kunai she kept hidden in her sleeve into her hand. The door opened quietly and two identical heads of red hair poked through. 'Well almost identical,' Cole thought.

The two redheaded boys walked in, careful to not make too much noise once they saw that Harry was asleep. Both of their expressions softened as they looked him over.

"How is he?" one of them asked.

"Tired clearly. Before anymore questions are asked, who are you?" Cole asked, glaring from behind her curtain of black hair. She knew they were the spawn of that ridiculously dressed redheaded man from the platform. There was no mistaking the genetics.

The boys looked taken aback for a moment before the one on the right said, "I'm Fred Weasley." Then the one on the left continued, "And I'm George Weasley!" They both spoke at once, saying, "Pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

Cole relaxed. She took note of the minor differences between the two and kept them in mind. "Cool. Harry was telling me about you guys and your family earlier," She said with a smile. She pushed her kunai back into place. Then, speaking together, they growled, "What in the name of Merlin's beard are you doing with Harry?"

Cole just laughed. They really thought they'd pose a threat to her. It was an absurd thought. "I was hired to protect Harry by your headmaster. However since it is Harry's sizeable bank account that is paying my bills, I only answer to him. I protect people, that's all."

Fred and George relaxed a tad then smirked. They pulled a handful of sweets from their pockets and George offered, "Want to buy one? Only five knuts because you seem pretty cool."

"What's it going to do to me?" she asked warily.

Fred laughed, "Always so paranoid! They won't do anything bad, promise." Sly smiles crossed both their faces.

Cole dropped five copper coins into Fred's hand before taking a piece warily. Doing a quick scan, she found it harmless and popped it in her mouth.

Suddenly an odd, cool sensation came over her as the magic infused into the sweet washed over her and out of nowhere, her nose starts bleeding. A confused look crossed her face as the Weasley twins whooped with joy and gave each other a high five.

Cole scowled and wiped the blood off her face before pinching her nose. The words came out awkwardly as she said, "I will never eat anything you boys offer me ever again. This means war, dears." She sent some healing chakara into her hands and healed her nose before releasing it.

Fred and George just smiled, assuming this willowy girl in front of them could never pose any harm to them. "We're sure it is…" they said in tandem. Cole's only reaction was to scoff. People constantly underestimated her, though not quite as much as they underestimated her dear friend, Naruto.

They lapsed into silence for a few moments before the firey-haired twins got up. "We should get back to our own compartment," Fred began. George then continued, "Yeah. We told them we were only going to be gone for two minutes or so to check up on Harry." "We see he's in good hands," they finished together, causing Cole to shudder. It still creeped her out when twins were able to speak in tandem.

Cole waved them off without a word, taking care to not wake the still slumbering Harry. The twins left quietly, sending friendly smiles to Cole over their shoulder. Cole finally fully relaxed again when the door to their compartment clicked shut. She settled in her seat, prepared to wait until it was appropriate to wake Harry, or Harry woke up on his own.

She kunoichi breathed a sigh of relief when the wizard in her lap stirred, not three minutes later. Being around sleeping teenagers made her very nervous. You never knew what might happen.

Harry sat up, rubbing his eyes. "How long have I been out?" he asked shyly. He hated napping for too long. He always ended up in some kind of trouble whether it be his uncle or being late to class.

"Not long. Just under an hour. If you're tired, you may want to sleep some more. I hear the start of term feast can be quite draining," the older girl said with an understanding smile. Cole understood just how much energy it took to maintain a disguise and façade. She spent her entire life doing just so.

Harry settled down again. But before he could drift off again, their compartment was invaded yet again. This time, a haggard looking blond stood in the doorway. His shoulders were hunched and his hair was stringy. He was pristinely dressed but his shoulders were unable to fill the tailored suit jacket that was draped across his shoulders. Looking into his eyes, Cole saw the shadows in them. They nearly matched her own.

Harry bolt up onto his feet immediately. "Malfoy! What are you doing here? Haven't you messed with me enough already?" Harry's stance was defensive and he looked ready to fight or flee, Cole wasn't sure which. But the blond boy was of no threat to them, at least not at the moment.

'Malfoy' kept his eyes on the floor at Harry's feet. He spoke softly, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done all that shit to you last year. I'm really sorry. But I'm here not just for me, but for Slytherin House as well. Us children… We just follow what our fathers say. Most of us don't support the Dark Lord and we know he's back. I spent most of my summer suffering the brunt of my father's rage because he's no longer the Dark Lord's right hand man. We desperately need your help and we can't let anyone know." He sunk to his knees in front of Harry and Cole's eyes widened. Even if he was English, Malfoy knew that his life was in Harry's hands.

Harry just stared at Malfoy for a moment before hesitantly touching the blond's shoulder. Malfoy looked up and held Harry's gaze for a second before allowing the brunet to help him up. As soon as Malfoy was on his feet again, and steady, Harry spoke. "Draco… I don't know how much I can do. But I will do everything I can to help. I'll talk to Dumbledore as soon as we get back to the school."

"Thank you, Harry…" Malfoy, now identified as Draco, replied softly. He glanced at Cole before ducking out of the compartment. The girl assumed he was going to tell his friends immediately.

Harry collapsed onto one of the benches and he rested his forehead on his palms. His shoulders were hunched and he looked as if he was about to get crushed by whatever weight was pressing on him from all sides. He really did have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Not only had Voldemort come back, but no one believed that he was. His best friends had left him to rot alone and the fate of the goddamned wizarding world was on his shoulders.

Cole really felt bad for the kid. As she observed him, she could almost see an old friend of hers. Her vision tunneled and Harry's black hair faded to a golden blond, his skin darkened into a sun-kissed tan, and pale scars could almost be seen on the boy's cheeks. Cole blinked and the illusion disappeared. She new too many children who were too old.

She sat next to the brunet and began braiding her too-long hair. It was comforting to her. "You'll be okay, kiddo. I know this kid back home. He's the most annoying little fucker you'll ever meet, but damn if he can't save the day. He came from nothing and I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to end up ruling my home city by the time I get back. You can do it too, kid. You've got me. You've got those two guys you mentioned earlier. Sirius and Remus right? You've also got those two carrot top twins. You got this."

Cole tied off her hair with a tie that she fished out of one of her numerous pockets then nudged Harry with her elbow. The boy looked at her with a begrudging smile and she returned the expression with a smirk.

"Thanks Cole…" Harry said with a soft sigh. He leaned back in his seat. Glancing out the window, he noticed the sun setting and realized it was about time to change. "We should change into uniforms… We'll be at Hogwarts within an hour."

Cole simply nodded and pulled her blank uniform out of her pack and began changing. "So Harry. Tell me how one gets put into these houses of yours? I think they're really ridiculous considering all the rumors I hear about the violence between certain houses," she asked lightly, hoping to change the subject.

Harry just shrugged as he saw that Cole was changing without leaving the compartment before answering, "Well… You just put on this hat. It can read your surface thoughts and will place you into whichever house fits you best. And as for why we have houses, I'm not totally sure. For whatever reason, we have them now and that's that."

Cole hummed her acknowledgement as she pulled on the grey skirt of the uniform. Smoothing down the front of her uniform, she sat back down and crossed her legs. "That is really stupid. But oh well…" She leaned forward a bit and cracked her back before slumping back into the seat. It was kind of nice for her to be able to relax. The school was relatively safe. It was only prone to attacks from within.

Once Harry was done changing, Cole gave him a once over. He was thinner than the Malfoy boy. That really needed to change. She would bet money that she could snap the kid in half with one arm. "So… Harry, I hate to bring this up, but is there anyone at school other than the twin hooligans that you can trust? Somehow I doubt we will be sorted into the same house. I am still being paid to protect you, so that means being able to leave you where I know you will be safe."

Harry sighed. He nearly cringed at the memory of Hermione screaming at him and Ron's look of disgust. "I… Ginny is okay with it. And I think Neville is too. Dean and Seamus, definitely. I should be safe enough in the Tower if you get sorted somewhere else. Ron won't get in the way of his sister."

Cole relaxed just a little bit more. "That's good. Do you mind if I get in touch with Remus and Sirius? I'd just like to be able to know more about them before trusting them implicitly."

Harry nodded. "I mean I'd rather you didn't. But it's your call. I'm sure they won't mind."

Cole was about to reply when the train slowed to a stop and the chattering of a thousand odd students filtered through the door. They had arrived.


	3. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: The only things I own are my pen, paper, laptop, and Harry Potter books written by one, JK Rowling. Also, this shit gay. Get over it.

A/N: This is unbeta'd. I will be going back and making a valiant attempt at fixing this eventually. uwu

**In the Arms of a Father Chapter 3: A New Beginning**

Harry got up and dragged his bag out from above their heads before making his way outside. "Cole, where are your things? I thought I saw you with a huge cart earlier?" he asked as they joined the throng of adolescent bodies.

The girl simply smirked and pulled out a scroll, tapping it to her temple. "In here. It's something us ninja learn. It makes missions and traveling a lot easier if all our food and other shit are all sealed into tiny scrolls we can stick in our pockets. I'm sure there's a magical equivalent somewhere if you bother to look," she replied with a smile. "Most of what we do can be called wandless magic by your standards. Magic is a kind of energy; you pull it from your surroundings. But a ninja's brand of magic is called 'chakara' and it is our own stored energy. Some people have more than others." She explained patiently. She was actually completely fascinated with all the kinds of magic in the world and how science related to it all.

Harry just nodded, pretending to understand what she was saying. He managed a small smile as Cole laughed, knowing he had no clue what she was talking about. Right as they were about to board one of the carriages, a booming voice was heard.

"-LE TAKAHASHI? NICOLE TAKAHASHI? NICOLE TAKAHASHI PLEASE REPORT TO ME IMMEDIATELY," Hagrid called through the crowd. Cole took a moment to stare at this giant of a man that was calling to her.

"Shit, Harry who is that?" she asked nervously. Although the man didn't seem very powerful, he did give off an aura of being impervious to most attacks. Not to mention his sheer girth would make it difficult to land any actually damaging physical blows.

Harry finally gave a full-blown laugh. Hagrid wouldn't even purposely hurt a fly. "Don't worry. That's just Hagrid. I guess you're going to cross with the first years to get sorted with them," he said with an encouraging smile.

"Find the Weasley twins and sit with them, okay?" Cole said through clenched teeth. She just got to her mission and now she had to abandon her post. Harry nodded as he spotted the two redheads a little ways away and watched as Cole drifted to the half giant. The shorter boy stood for a moment, wondering how Cole managed to look like she was gliding when she walked as opposed to walking. Shaking his head, he left his luggage where he was supposed to and joined the twins who slapped him on the back and pulled him into their carriage.

In the Great Hall, Harry settled himself at the very end of the Gryffindor table and empty space surrounded him. No one sat across from him or next to him. Fred and George offered to stay with him, but he waved them off. He knew they wanted to sit with Lee to discuss some prank or another. Harry continued to stare down at his plate as the sorting went on, only lightly clapping as someone was sorted into his own house.

When the sorting was finally over, Harry waited for the food to appear on the table. Instead, Dumbledore began speaking again. "This year, Hogwarts has the privilege of housing yet another international student! She comes from Japan, although not to worry, her English is impeccable. So please join me in welcoming Miss Nicole Takahashi!" The hall clapped half-heartedly. It was full of hungry teenagers waiting to eat. "And as soon as she is sorted, the feast will begin!"

Professor McGonagall called out her name and Cole stepped forward. The way she carried herself immediately demanded attention. She sat on the stool almost comically. It was made for eleven year olds who stood at about five feet tall. Still, she managed to be somewhat graceful as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. After a tense two minutes of silence, the whole school wanting this new girl who could carry herself in such a manner to be in their house, the Hat decided with confidence, "SLYTHERIN!"

Harry smiled a bit at that. Cole would be good for Slytherin. She could help them get out of Voldemort's grasp, or even be a fantastic spy. She was foreign and Voldemort wouldn't know where her alliances fell. He watched calmly as she sauntered over to the Slytherin table and proceeded to ignore everyone who talked to her. She met Harry's gaze and winked. She would be keeping an eye on him.

Once the feast was in full swing and the hall was filled with chattering students, Harry found himself with company. Cole had some how escaped her new fan club and joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. Immediately, the room quieted he felt the stares on him again. He sighed and kept his head down as he picked at his food. "You know, you should probably sit with your own house… We're not too fond of interhouse relations here in Hogwarts," he said quietly.

"Sounds like a child's bitch fit. I'm not going to deal with that. I'd rather sit with a friend," Cole replied, biting into a chicken leg. "I've seen enough conflict between the villages back home, I'm not about to condone it in a school."

The hall burst into loud talk and whispers as soon as the brunette girl sat down. Thankfully, they were left in peace for a few moments before Ron Weasley showed up. Cole quickly looked him over. She determined that the redhead was a momma's boy with abandonment issues and a deep set insecurity in his own self due to the fact that he was the sixth son in a family of seven. That would be most annoying to deal with. She sighed before returning to her meal. If she recalled correctly, this was one of the few Weasley children that did not condone of Harry's preferences of bed partners. It also really probably didn't help that Harry was the golden child. Then sleeping with the triwizard champ for Hogwarts last year? That just wouldn't do now would it?

"I always knew you were going to turn out evil. Becoming mates with a Slytherin now, are you?" the redhead bit out scathingly. He rolled his eyes and looked at the girl standing next to him. Cole deduced this was Hermione. Hermione looked very put off by Ron's comments. However, undeterred by his friend's disapproving look, Ron continued speaking. "Nothing more than what could be expected of a faggot."

Cole almost laughed. Almost. She saw the look on Harry's face. The boy was hurting. Ron was supposed to be his friend. Ron was his first friend ever. And this is what it came to? Over something that was literally out of his control? The redhead had accepted him after the parsel tongue thing. After finding out that his godfather was a criminal (wrongly accused but the sentiment was there). Even after their spat over the triwizard tournament last year. What made this any different? Harry didn't choose to have feelings for Cedric. And he certainly wasn't thinking much of anything when the two of them fell to bed last year. Harry shook his head slightly to clear those thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to remember those times. Not here. Not where he could end up crying his heart out in front of the entire school.

Hermione beat Cole to anything Ron could have done. The witch raised her hand and smacked Ron on the back of the head so hard he nearly doubled over. "RONALD. BILIUS. WEASLEY. I SWEAR TO MERLIN…" she began shouting. She took a deep breath and let it go before continuing in a much more acceptable volume for private conversation. "I swear to Merlin. You are such a bigoted little… Little… Little child! I don't understand why you are so fickle when it comes to Harry! I don't see anything wrong with who he chooses to be with! And neither does your entire family. I swear, if I didn't know better, I would say you're just jealous that he picked Cedric over you!" Hermione finished her tirade with a little stomp before huffing off to the dorm. Harry was about to call out to her. They didn't know the password for the portrait. But then he remembered. Ron and Hermione had been appointed prefects this year.

Ron turned bright red, sputtering, before following Hermione. Harry leaned back and stretched out his back before slumping over again. "Well that went better than expected…" he said with a morose chuckle. "Could have sworn he was going to hit me… Or tell the entire school what an abomination I am…"

Cole's attention was sparked again. "Wait. You're telling me that the school doesn't hate you for being out? Its for something else?" she asked, confused. She couldn't think of a single reason why the entire student body could single out this kid. It's not like he housed Voldemort or anything. When Harry shook his head, affirming her statement that the hatred was for something else, the kunoichi snorted in disbelief. "Well shit… Man then you're not in the danger I thought you were in. That makes life a lot easier for me at least. So tell me why everyone hates you then," she demanded.

Harry sighed and continued to pick at his food. "Do you know about what happened at the triwizard tournament last year? Besides my boyfriend dying?" Cole shook her head. She had no clue. "Well I saw Voldemort return. A traitor named Peter Pettrigrew used my damn blood to bring the monster back from the dead. I brought Cedric's body back with me and with the cup. The cup was a portkey. No one believed me that Voldemort was back. Other than Dumbledore, at least. But now even he won't look at me."

Cole hummed thoughtfully. Harry's story explained a lot. But if that particular Dark Lord was back, it would explain why some of the older students in Slytherin were so skittish. She had noticed some of them eyeing her; unsure whether or not to approach her with offers to join their army. "Well Harry… It's not the end of the world. You will have allies and its only a matter of time before someone realizes that you're correct," she said in attempt to comfort him. Her own thoughts drifted back to her home where her friend, Naruto, was faced scorn and hardship every day. That boy could take it, so she knew Harry could as well. "I know it probably feels terrible right now, but it will blow over. But when it does, I guess that means war, huh? That actually really blows."

Harry could have laughed at Cole's pathetic attempts and comforting him. Really the girl had no clue how to make anyone feel better. He felt her wrap a strong arm around him. Now that was something he could take comfort in. He leaned into her one armed hug. "To say the least…"

They sat in silence while finishing their dinner. When the tables finally cleared, they turned their attention back to Dumbledore who was standing up to make the start of term announcements.

*"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices. First Years aught to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students- and a few of our older students ought to know by now too. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second tim, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door. We have had two changes of staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking over Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Tryouts for the House of Quidditch teams will take place on the-"*

"Hem hem."

The small girlish cough interrupted the professor's speech. It took both Harry and Cole a few seconds to find the source of the cough. It was Professor Umbridge. She had stood up, not that it mattered. The woman was about an inch taller standing than sitting and wearing far too much pink. Cole could have screamed at the sheer amount of disrespect it showed. How dare this woman interrupt the headmaster? The hall fell silent.

"Hem hem." This time everyone's eyes turned to the short woman dressed in pink. "Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was high pitched and reminiscent of a bratty child. "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts. I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

The irony was in the fact that no one was smiling, and maybe two people actually paying attention. Hermione was back, sitting half way down the table, pointedly ignoring Ron. She was one of two that was paying attention.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

Someone muttered, *"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan."* Cole smirked when she heard Harry snicker at the comment.

*"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is at it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation… Because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retired, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."*

She finally sat down. Dumbledore continued on with his speech as if nothing had happened.

Harry stopped paying attention to Dumbledore. He knew the typical warnings and instructions by now. He did start thinking about what Umbridge had said though. It was thought provoking to say the least, if impossible to understand. He was brought back to reality when he saw the mass exodus of students begin.

He decided to actually try to figure out what Umbridge was actually saying. So he asked Cole, "Did you happen to catch what the new professor was saying? I really couldn't be bothered to listen to her... Well I could but I didn't understand any of it."

Cole chuckled decided to explain. "It looks like Umbridge is a government plant. She spouted a bunch of propaganda bullshit about the way this school is run. I mean I'll admit, Dumbledore looks like he's got a few loose screws, but I've looked into the stats, the graduates in the last five years or so have been doing significantly better at their jobs than they have before. Something has been done right. But from the way she's been talking, it looks like all the defense lessons this year are going to be theoretical. A-"

"Wait a second! Theoretical? You mean we won't be doing any spell casting at all?" Harry asked, shocked. "Most of that class is practical work. How could we learn anything if we don't practice it? Theory is great and all, but when it comes down to a situation where you need those spells, all the theory in the world won't help you if you haven't cast it before!"

Cole nodded in agreement. "Kid, I know. And theory also goes out the fucking window when you're actually in a fight. It's ridiculous the way she thinks this is going to work out. And doesn't our year have exams this year? But that is something we can discuss on another day. I have to talk to Dumbledore after we eat… But do you know where I can get a class schedule?"

"We'll get them tomorrow morning. The heads of house hand them out during breakfast so it's best to not be late," Harry replied, still miffed at the proceedings. "Why do you need to talk to Dumbledore?"

Cole sighed. She was getting tired. Here, she had the luxury of sleeping in a soft, warm bed, but she would still miss her wife. She'd see her at the end of the school year. That was when she would switch out with another shinobi. "Dumbledore is the one that hired me. I need to ask him what exactly I need to be doing here. My instructions weren't very specific and it seems as if you're safe enough, isolated in the middle of nowhere, Scotland. So I need to ask about that."

Harry nodded in vague understanding. Cole stayed seated while Harry stood up and began following the rush of Gryffindors. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then… Goodnight Cole," Harry said as the crowd swept him away.

**A/N**: I hope you enjoyed this! I'm going to try to be updating at least once a month or so, but don't hold me on that. School has just started up again. Please review! It helps move the story along by giving me motivation.


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